Radcliffe Will Start Major Fund Drive

Radcliffe will undertake a major fund-raising campaign in 1978 to strengthen its endowment and help expand its graduate and undergraduate programs.

The fund drive, to coincide with Radcliffe's centennial, will probably raise money for a possible new women's center, the Schlesinger Library, the Radcliffe Institute, and the Office of the Arts.

The drive will also augment the endowment used for undergraduate scholarships.

The official goals of the drive, now under study, should be released in "a couple of weeks," President Horner said yesterday.

Much of Radcliffe is "in flux" and its future course depends on the amount of money raised in the drive, Susan F. Lyman '36, chairman of the Radcliffe Board of Trustees said yesterday. She stressed the need for Radcliffe to preserve its voice in both graduate and undergraduate planning.

Enlarging Radcliffe's endowment will ensure its independence--which is why administrators expect that alumnae will contribute, Robert H. Gardiner, treasurer of Radcliffe College, said yesterday.

Alumnae supporters of the drive want to bolster Radcliffe's present programs as much as possible, now that it has ceded its education of undergraduates to Harvard, George Putnam, treasurer of Harvard College, said yesterday.

No Need for Reinforcement

However, Hope W. Wigglesworth, director of the Radcliffe College Fund, said yesterday that the drive does not aim at ensuring Radcliffe's autonomy. Radcliffe does not need to be reinforced, Wigglesworth said.

Radcliffe now conducts its programs in the Radcliffe Institute and the Schlesinger Library, and in the creative and performing arts. Radcliffe endowment provides some financial aid to undergraduates.

Administrators from Radcliffe work with Harvard College officials to assure that policies on issues like admissions, housing, and financial aid "make sense," Horner said.

Radcliffe remains an independent corporation, but shares certain incomes and expenses with Harvard.

However, Gardiner said "the concept of how Radcliffe keeps it books is up for drastic revision. "He would not elaborate.

Cecily O. Morse, assistant director of the Radcliffe College Fund, said Wednesday the drive will solidify Radcliffe's aim to become a "national force" and a national resource center for studies on women.

Some of the funds will probably go towards a relaxed forum where women can talk in a supportive atmosphere, which Harvard does not have now, Lyman said. She said the Faculty Club epitomizes the male-dominated environment that usually prevails.

The Schlesinger Library, which houses a collection of works on the history of women in America, will probably also be a target of new money. The center has grown rapidly in the past few years.

"There is not another Schlesinger anywhere in the world--the whole nation is coming to rest on our door, "Lyman said.

Patricia M. King, director of the Schlesinger Library, said yesterday that people have become aware of the historical value of women's papers as historians have taken more interest in poorly represented minorities.

The library, on which Radcliffe spent $180,000 last year, received a $134,000 grant in September from the National Endowment for the Humanities to develop, over three years, archives on the career and family patterns of American women.

It also received a $99,000 grant from the Rockefeller Foundation to compile transcripts of oral histories of black women now alive in America.

Radcliffe will seek special endowments and gifts for Radcliffe Institute fellowships, such as the artists in residence program, now paid for with general funds or outside grants, Gardiner said. Institute fellowships allow women to pursue independent research on a variety of subjects.

The Institute also runs a seminar program, covering a wide range of subjects, for women and men not in school and for undergraduates. The number of people enrolled in the seminars has more than tripled in the past three and a half years, including a small but increasing fraction of men.

The seminar program pays for itself with course fees , although the seminars are free for undergraduates.

For the next academic year, Radcliffe will officially split the Institute's fellowship and seminar programs into two separate college divisions. The two programs are already effectively split--the seminar program recently moved from their joint quarters to a new separate building.

The Office of the Arts, housed in the old Radcliffe Yard is funded jointly by Harvard and Radcliffe. Radcliffe created the office and originally funded it alone.

The creative and performing arts are a major priority in Radcliffe's budget, Wigglesworth said.

The Radcliffe trustees in November approved the hiring of a consulting firm to study the feasibility of the centennial fund drive. The firm, together with Radcliffe officials, will decide the amount to be sought and the areas where the collected money will be applied, Lyman said